Former Captain Regina May filed the suit in the Northern District of federal court on Monday. She retired in November 2014 after 25 years of service. At one time she was the Gadsden Police Department’s public information officer.

May claims in the suit it all started when she was requested by newly-appointed police chief John Crane to process only black applicants for work as police officers.

May, who was captain of the professional standards division at the time, alleges in the suit she objected to the order on the grounds that he couldn’t do that.